Music: Ukulele

Who doesn't love the sound of a ukulele? (Name comes from the Hawaiian for "jumping flea".)

YouTube has lots of videos by UK uke duo, the Re-entrants, including Cameo's "Word Up".

Here's a dude playing the "Star Wars" theme on his ukulele.

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro is about as far as you can get from George Formby (although George played a banjo ukulele).

The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain doing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Life On Mars" (including, appropriately, "My Way" among other tunes).

If you like Jens Lekman or Jonathan Richman, you have to visit the MySpace page of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele. He has a free EP for download, which includes a Prince cover.

Also try Bohemia Ukulele Band, a six-piece from Hastings. They have a lot of other ukulele friends, like Sweet Soubrette, Ukulele Girls (French girls doing "Gangsta Paradise"), Perrecy (German guy doing Smiths covers in German, like "Dieser Charmante Mann").

You can learn to play online at Pineapple Pete's Uke School.

Music: Mono In VCF

MONO IN VCF have a great sound (and Terry Jacks helped with their unreleased album). Not sure about the band name. Apparently, VCF is a synth term. (Recommended by Torr.)

In a completely different style, I recommend The Bees, who are known as A Band Of Bees in the US. (What? Was The Bees U.K. also taken?) Sunny Caribbean sound, but then they are from the Isle of Wight.

Music: Hodge Podge

Observer article by Sean O'Hagan mourning the loss of mix tapes, independent record shops and sleeve notes. This Sean O'Hagan is not to be confused (as I've been doing) with the one who was in Microdisney and is now the High Llamas. (And provided the music for the Musical Painting.) (Although the Bob Stanley who writes for the Guardian is the Saint Etienne one.)

His partner in Microdisney was the unreliable Cathal Coughlan. Someone on his Message Board posted a review of Lou Reed's concert performance of "Berlin". Good that it was recorded for DVD.

Speaking of mix tapes and vinyl, there are turntables that connect to your PC. There's also a cassette tape ripper.

Recommended unsigned artist: B from Sweden. Don't like the one-letter name but I like his music. (M and X did it first.)

Finally, check out the MySpace page for a Grant McLennan tribute album.

Music: MySpace

• Bobby Cook sounds like an English Ryan Adams ("Drunken View" could have been on "Rock & Roll"). (Found via Torr.)
  
• Kevin Rowland is hosting a new Dexy's track, and loads of great old videos.
  
• Lee Hazlewood has a new album (his last, he says) coming out tomorrow. (And it's named after an Eddie Izzard routine!) Check out his own version of "These Boots Are Made For Walking".
  
• Possibly our greatest living songwriter, Boo Hewerdine, has a version of "Bell, Book & Candle" sung in Japanese by Hitomi Yaida.
  
• Dawn Landes makes nice 'n gentle folky music.
  
• And it's a tad late, but I don't think I ever linked to Pine Cone Punks and their fantastic Holiday song, "Coal For Christmas".